JCC completes draft budget to put before county

WATERTOWN  Jefferson Community Collegesinitial draft of the 2014-15 budget is a $1.9 million, or 4 percent, increase over last years total operating budget of $29,801,517.

JCC President Carole A. McCoy said the increase in spending will be paid for through an increase in state aid, a tuition increase of $5 per credit hour and the additional revenue from the new 288-bed dormitory that will open in August.

The college will receive $7,569,895 in state aid for the 2014-15 budget year.

Mrs. McCoy said the increase in state aid is $75 per full-time equivalent student, for a total of $2,497 per FTE  less than the $250 increase community colleges in the state requested to keep tuition down.

Its not as much as we asked for, but at least its a change in a positive direction, Mrs. McCoy said.

The increasein per-student aid will lead to an estimated $210,000 for JCC, Mrs. McCoy said.

Across the country, community colleges are reporting a decrease in enrollment, Mrs. McCoy said. Here we arent seeing that.

She said the population of Watertown community students, Fort Drum students and north country residents interested in moving onto the campus have contributed to the colleges steady enrollment.

For a full-time student, the tuition increase could mean a difference of $60 more per semester. Full time equivalency is based on the number of full-time students and how many credit hours part-time students are taking.

The college will receive the same funding from the county as last year, approximately $4.7 million, not including charge-backs from out-of-county students.

Mrs. McCoy said the college anticipates a 3 percent increase in enrollment, in part thanks to the addition of the 288-bed dormitory.

About 115 students have paid their deposits for one of the available beds at the dorms and 240 applications have been submitted. Mrs. McCoy said construction is on schedule and everything should be ready for the residents to move in by the beginning of the fall semester.

JCCs budget faces approval from the Jefferson County Board of Legislators in July before final approval from the state.

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